Device for cleaning firearms



April 10, 1928; 1,665,961

D. C. HOOKER DEVICE FOR CLEANING FIREARMS Filed Oct. 15. 1926 gvwenfoz Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

DUNCAN G. HOOKER, F FARMINGTON, CONNECTICUT.

DEVICE FOR CLEANING FIREARMS.

Application filed October 15, 1926.

This invention relates to means for cleaning and lubricating the bores of firearms such as rifles, shotguns, pistols, and the like, and has as its aim to provide means of this sort having various features of novelty and advantage.

More particularly, an aim of the invention is to provide an improved device by means of which the bores of firearms may be efiiciently and thoroughly cleaned throughout their lengths in a simple and ready manner and without any danger of any portion of the device or the cleaning cloth becoming stuck in the barrel.

My improved arrangement is such that the cleaning fabric may be easily applied to the device and, while the device is passed through the bore, the cleaning fabric or patch will be positively held with a substantially uniform. radial pressure throughout a substantial length so that all portions of the surface of the bore, including the bottom and side walls of the rifiing, will be reached and thoroughly cleaned. Furthermore, with my improved arrangement, it is practically impossible to use a patch or cleaning fabric which will become stuck in the bore, and there is no danger of marring, scratching, or otherwise injuring the bore of the barrel.

My improved device is also peculiarly well adapted for properly lubricating the bore of the firearm after it has been cleaned.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have shown several embodiments which my invention may take:

Figure 1 is a side view with parts in 1011- gitudinal section of one form which the de vice may take;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing another embodiment;

F ig. 3 is a detail view showing the device within the bore of a firearm;

Fig. 4' is a view showing my invention incorporated in a device which is adapted to be pushed through the bore of the firearm;

Serial No. 141,759.

Fig. 5 is is a sectional view taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 3. In accordance with the present invention, I provide a fabric or patch support (which, for convenience in terminology and claiming, is here termed a plug) of such size and shape that a cleaning patch applied thereto will properly fold itself over the plug and, as the latter moves into the bore, as the plug is forced through the barrel of the gun, the fabric will be held with an uniform outward radial pressure through the length of the plug. More specifically, my improved plug is in the shape of a member circular in cross section and tapering down from a point adjacent its forward end to its rear end, the degree of taper being such that the diameter of the plug decreases substantially as the cross sectional area of the patch increases towards the rear end of the plug. By preference, the forward end of the plug is rounded so as to avoid rough or sharp corners and to permit the cloth to be drawn in a proper folded condition about the plug as the latter is moved into the bore.

Referring specifically to that embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1, a designates generally my improved plug having a rounded or semi-spherical forward end 10. The plug tapers down towards its rear end as illustrated. In this embodiment, the plug is secured to the rear end of aflexible member b which, preferably, is formed of wire or cable so as to combine the necessary strength with sufficient stiffness and to permit the needle 0 on the forward end of the wire to be threaded more readily through the bore. The cable is made up of a multiplicity of relatively thin wires twisted together as shown to form a unit which may be wound up very compactly for convenient carrying. Also, the cable may be wrapped around the hand so that a good grip may be had thereon, thus facilitating the operation of drawingthe plug through the bore of the gun. The cable may be thus wound or wrapped, although the cable may be of substantial diameter as a whole, as it is made up of relatively thin wires which accommodate themselves to a bending action without taking a permanent set, which would not be the case if a single wire of relatively large diameter were employed. At the same time, the

diameter of the cable is such that the cable is given sutficient stiffness to enable it to be employed for pushing the needle through the bore of the gun independentof the position of the latter, which operation may be car ried out with greater facility than would be the case where the plug is connected to the needle by a limp string or strip and the needle is obliged to assume the dimensions of a weight so that it can by gravity draw the string through the bore. -Also, the use of a cable such as described is of advantage in that it may be wrapped about the hand without any danger of cutting the hand 1 which would be the case if a single wire were em Jloyed of such small diameter that it could e compactly coiled. The use of a finely stranded metallic cable permits the use of a socketed needle point whose diamv as so closely apPI'QQ hQS that of the cable that, when the patch is thereby perforated, the resultant hole is so relatively small that the plug'will not pull through it as would be the case the needle were made heavy and, consequence, large enough to function with a limp cord. The member 0 is preferably pointed so as to form a needle.

which may be readily forced through the center of a patch or'cleaning. fabric. Preferably, this patch comprises a circular piece of clothof suitable diameter.

In using the device shown in Fig. 1, the needle will be forced through the central portion of the patch 79 and then the patch is threaded or moved back on the wire until it en ages the forward end of the plug. The needle is inserted into one end of the bore and fed forwardly until it comes out at the other end and then the needle is pulled forwardly so as to draw the plug, together with the fabric, into the bore. As the plugfis drawn into the bore, the fabric will be drawn over the plug and will fold itself substantially in the symmetrical manner shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6. The fabric at the forward end'of the plug and at the point of largest diameter thereof will lie evenly against the plug, and rearwardly of the greatest diameter of the plug, the fabric will fold itself with practical uniformity.

Itlwill be. clear, from Figs. 3,5 and 6, that the aggregate thickness of the cleaning fabric increases towards the rear end of the plug and the taper of the plug is such as to allow for this increase in thickness and to positively hold the cleaning fabric with substantially like pressure against the internal periphery of the bore. throughout the tapered, portion of the plug. WVith this arrangement, thev piece of fabric may beread ilybrought into proper position with respect to. the plug and, as the fabric is drawn through the barrel, it has a very extensive cleaning surface. Instead of the cleaning surface being limited to the point of greatest diameter of the plug, it extends throughout the length of the plug. In the event that a patch of larger diameter than that required isemployed, the rear edge of the patch will overhang the rear edge of the plug so that it will not interfere with the operation of drawing the plug and patch through the bore. In the event that one should attempt to use a patch which is entirely too large, there is no danger of the patch becoming stuck in the barrel because the plug will pull through the patch at the mouth of the bore where the detached patch could be readily grasped and removed.

My improved device is also peculiarly well adapted for lubricating the bore of the barrel. After the gun is cleaned, a clean patch maybe applied to the plug,the patch preferably being of such size that the edge thereof will extend beyond the rear end of the plug. The lubricant is applied to the patch and, as the plug and patch are drawn through the, barrel, the lubricantwill be squeezed or pressed to the loose end or edge ofthe patch which will properly distribute the lubricant to all portions of the bore.

The embodiment shown in Fig, 2 1s similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but in this instance the arrangement is such that plugs of different sizes may be used. Referring to this embodiment, the plug is designate, by the letter a. On the rear end of. the

wire Z1 is secured the, stop d against which the rear end of the plug is adapted to abut. The plug has a through bore 11 which is of sufficient diameter to permit the. plug to be drawn over the needle 0 as shown by broken lines, Fig. 2. It will be understood that a number of these plugs a of different sizes. will be supplied, and the one selected will be drawn over the needle to the full line position shown in Fig. 2. device is used in the same manner as that illustrated in Fig. 1.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, my. improved plug a" is fixed to the forward end of a rigid rod 6. When using this device, a patch is placed over the forward end, of. the plug, and then the plug is forced through the. bore of the gun by means of the rod c. It will be noted that the plug a" is tapered similarly to the plug of the preceding embodiments.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention couldbe made without departingfrom the scope thereof, it is intendedthat all mat;

ter contained in the above description or 7 cific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for cleaning bores of firearms having a plug provided with a forward end forming an abutment for a cleaning patch, said plug being in the form of a straight-sided cone uniformly tapering down in diameter towards its rear end substantially as the cross sectional area of the patch increases.

2. A device for cleaning bores of firearms having a plug with a semi-spherical for ward end and gradually uniformly tapering down in diameter from said semi-spherical forward end to the rear end substantially as the cross sectional area of the patch increases.

3. A device for cleaning bores of firearms having a flexible cable composed of a multiplicity of thin wires, a plug on one end of said cable adapted to receive a cleaning patch, and a pointed needle receiving and secured to the other end of said cable and being but slightly greater in diameter than the cable.

DUNCAN C. HOOKER. 

